Vapour resistances and -values

The vapour resistance of a material is a measure of the materials reluctance to let water vapour pass through. The vapour resistance takes into account the materials thickness, so can only be quoted for a particular thickness of material. It is usually measured in MNs/g (MegaNewton seconds per gram). If the quantity is measured in MNs/gm (notice the small m at the end) then its actually a vapour resistivity and should be dealt with as explained on the next page. The -value (mu-value) of a material is also known as its water vapour resistance factor. It is a measure of the materials relative reluctance to let water vapour pass through, and is measured in comparison to the properties of air. The -value is a property of the bulk material and needs to be multiplied by the materials thickness when used in a particular construction. Because the -value is a relative quantity, it is just expressed as a number (it has no units).

To convert a vapour resistance (MNs/g) to a -value

1. Multiply by 0.2 gm/MNs
(this is a typical value in the UK for the vapour permeability of still air, and converts the vapour resistance to the equivalent air layer thickness)

2.

Divide by thickness in metres

(this gives the -value)

Example: For a material with: vapour resistance = 10,000 MN.s/g and thickness = 100 mm We have: -value

10,000 MN.s/g

0.2 g.m/MN.s

0.1 m

20,000

To convert a -value to a vapour resistance (MNs/g)

1. Multiply by thickness in metres
(this gives the equivalent air layer thickness in m)

2.

Divide by 0.2 g.m/MN.s

(this is a typical value in the UK for the vapour permeability of still air)

Example: For a material with: -value = 4000 and thickness = 3 mm We have: vapour resistance

4000

0.003 m

0.2 g.m/MN.s

60 MN.s/g
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Ref: BS 5250: 2002 Gary Jones (BuildDesk) 18 Oct. 2005

Equivalent air layer thickness (sd)

You might see the reluctance of a material to let water vapour pass through expressed as an equivalent air layer thickness, which is usually represented as sd. As its name suggests, the equivalent air layer thickness is measured in metres. Like vapour resistance, it can only be quoted for a particular thickness of a material. The equivalent air layer thickness was used as an intermediate step in the conversions given on the previous page. So, if you want to convert between an equivalent air layer thickness and a -value, you can just use the relevant step from the earlier conversions (the one dividing or multiplying by the thickness of the material):

To convert an equivalent air layer thickness to a -value

Divide by thickness in metres

Example: For a material with: sd = 2,000m and thickness = 100 mm We have: -value 2,000 m

(Remember that sd is the symbol for equivalent air layer thickness and that -values have no units.)

0.1 m

20,000

To convert a -value to an equivalent air layer thickness

Multiply by thickness in metres

Example: For a material with: -value = 4000 and thickness = 3 mm We have: sd =

4000

0.003 =

12 m

Ref: BS 5250: 2002 Gary Jones (BuildDesk) 18 Oct. 2005

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Vapour resistivity
You might also see the vapour resistivity of a material quoted. This is similar to the vapour resistance, but is a property of the bulk material and is usually measured in MNs/gm (MegaNewton seconds per gram-metre). Because vapour resistivity and -value are both properties of the bulk material, there is no need to consider the thickness of the material when converting between them. Again, you just need to use the relevant step from the conversions on the first page:

To convert a vapour resistivity (MNs/gm) to a -value

Multiply by 0.2 gm/MNs
(this is a typical value in the UK for the vapour permeability of still air)

Example: For a material with: vapour resistivity = 1,000 MNs/gm We have: -value

1,000 MNs/gm

0.2 gm/MNs

200

To convert a -value to a vapour resistivity (MNs/gm)

Divide by 0.2 gm/MNs
(this is a typical value in the UK for the vapour permeability of still air)

Example: For a material with: -value = 400 We have: vapour resistivity

400

0.2 gm/MNs

2,000 MNs/gm

Ref: BS 5250: 2002 Gary Jones (BuildDesk) 18 Oct. 2005

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Tying it all together

The previous three pages have discussed several related quantities, and it can be tricky keeping them straight in your mind. Heres a summary of the quantities discussed Name Vapour resistance Vapour resistivity Equivalent air thickness layer Water vapour resistance factor (-value) Symbol (no common symbol) (no common symbol) Units MNs/g MNs/gm m (no unit) A property of specified thickness bulk material specified thickness bulk material

sd

and the relationships between them

Div. by t

Vapour resistivity
(measured in MNs/gm)

Mult. by

Mult. by t

Div. by

Vapour resistance
(measured in MNs/g)

= vapour permeability of still air (0.2 gm/MNs) t= thickness of material (m)

-value
(no unit)

Mult. by

Div. by t

Div. by

Equivalent air layer thickness sd

(measured in m)

Mult. by t

Tip: these conversions become fairly clear if you look at the units of measurement involved in each case.

Ref: BS 5250: 2002 Gary Jones (BuildDesk) 18 Oct. 2005

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In the BuildDesk software

When entering a materials reluctance to let water vapour pass through, you have to enter the value as a -value. When creating or editing a material, you are presented with a form where you specify the materials properties. The relevant part of the form is shown below:

You can see that the BuildDesk software actually asks for two -values, a minimum value and a maximum value. If you know that a particular material behaves differently under different conditions (the value varies with air humidity, for example) you can specify the required range of -values in the two fields. Usually, however, only one -value will be available for a particular material. In this case, just enter the same value in both the -min and -max fields.

What do you do if you dont know a materials -value? A good place to start is BS EN 12524 (Building materials and products - Hygrothermal properties Tabulated design values) which provides -values for many standard materials. These materials and their values are provided in a standard catalog in the BuildDesk software.

Ref: BS 5250: 2002 Gary Jones (BuildDesk) 18 Oct. 2005

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